Conventional exterior insulated finishing systems (EIFS) for building construction include insulating foam cores that are cut with a hot wire to a desired profile, externally covered with self-adhering reinforcing mesh and then extrusion coated with various coatings for weatherproofing, visual effects and durability. Final coating may be applied on a building site but in general pre-finished fully manufactured components are preferred due to better quality control, lower cost and consistent finish. Prefinished EIFS components include prefabricated panels and trim components to surround doors and windows.
All EIFS components have an insulating foam core coated with weatherproof coating to provide an externally installed insulated finished wall. The foam core serves to supplement or completely replace internally installed insulation such as spray foam or flexible fibrous insulation batts.
Pre-finished and pre-fabricated EIFS systems have replaced traditional foam insulation boards coated on site with stucco due to cost, quality, and speed of installation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,835 and US Patent Publication 2006/0185299 describe examples of EIFS systems using partially or fully pre-finished panels.
Moisture penetration has caused problems with corrosion and other water damage to the underlying building components of the exterior wall covered with an EIFS system. Wind and rain tend to drive moisture through joints and cracks in the EIFS cladding. Moisture barriers are provided between the underlying building substrate and the EIFS cladding. Drainage grooves on the inside surface of EIFS panels drain the trapped moisture and direct water to bleed holes in the base of the EIFS cladding.
It is desirable to produce a pre-finished EIFS cladding system that reduces on-site labour costs, improves quality and reliability.
Features that distinguish the present invention from the background art will be apparent from review of the disclosure, drawings and description of the invention presented below.